Pilgrimage, Book 1 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
Of Niniue and other neighbouring Nations.
WE hauehave hitherto spoken of Babylonia, but so, as in regard of the Empire, and some other occurrents, Necessitie now and then compelled vsus to make excursions into some other parts of Assyria, Mesopotamia, &c. And I know not how, this Babylon causeth confusion in that Sea of affaires, and in regard of the diuision of the Pennes (as sometimes of Tongues) of such as hauehave written thereof. Hard it is to distinguish betweene the Assyrian and Babylonian Empire, one while vnited, an other while diuided, as each party could most preuaile: and no lesse hard to reconcile the Ethnike and Diuine Historie touching the same. Ptolomey aLibr.6.cap.I.straitneth Assyria, on the north, with part of Armenia neere the riuer Niphates; on the west with Mesopotamia; on the south with Susiana; and Media on the east. But her large Empire hath enlarged the name of Syria, and of Assyria (which names the Greeks did not well distinguish) to many Countries in that part of Asia. The Scripture deriueth Syria from Aram, and Assyria from Ashur. Both were in their times flourishing, and mention is made from Abrahams time, both of the warres and kingdomes in those parts: yea before, from Ashur and Nimrod, as alreadie is shewed.
Mesopotamia is so called, and in the Scripture Aram or Syria of the waters, because it is situate betweene Euphrates and Tigris: the Countries Babylonia, and Armenia, confining the same on the North and South. Whereas therefore wee hauehave in our former Babylonian relation discoursed of Assyria, extending the name after a larger reckoning: here we consider it more properly.
The chiefe Citie thereof was Niniue, called in Ionas, bIon … 3.3.A great and excellent Citie of three days iourny. It had (I borrow the words of our reuerend Diocesan) cDoctor King on Ionas Lect.2.an ancient testimony long before in the Booke of *Genes. 10.11.Genesis. For thus Moses writeth, That Ashur came from the land of Shinar, and built Niniueh and Rehoboth, and Calah, and Resin. At length he singleth out Niniue from the rest, and setteth a speciall marke of preheminence vponupon it, This is a great Citie: Which honour, by the iudgement of the most learned (though standing in the last place) belongeth to the first of the foure Cities, namely to Niniue. Others dAnnius vponupon Eeros.imagined (but their coniecture is without ground) that the foure Cities were closed vp within the same walls, and made but one, of an vnusuall bignesse.
Some ascribe the building of Niniue to Ninus the sonne of Belus: of whome it tooke the name, to be called either Ninus, as wee read in 'Pliny; or after the manner of the Hebrewes, Niniue: and after a few words; By the confession of all, both facred and Gentile Histories, the Citie was very spacious, hauing foure hundred and fourescore furlongs in circuit, when Babylon had fewer almost (as some report) by an hundred: and as afterwards it grew in wealth and magnificence, so (they write) it was much more enlarged. Raphael Volaterranus affirmeth, That it was eight yeares in building; and not by fewer at once then tenne thousand workemen. There was no Citie since, by the estimation of Diodorus Siculus, that had like compasse of ground, or statelinesse of walls: the height whereof was not lesse then an hundred foot; the breadth sufficiently capable to hauehave receiued three Carts on a rowe: and they were furnished and adorned besides with fifteene hundred Turrets. Thus farre our reuerend and learned Bishop.
Diodorus eDiod, Sic. i. 3. c. 1.telleth out of Ctesias. That Ninus, after he had subdued the Aegyptians, Phoenicians, Syrians, Cilicians, Phrygians, and others, as farre as Tanais, and the Hyrcanians, Parthians, Persians, and other their neighbours, hee built this Citie. After that, he led an Armie against the Bactrians of seuenteene hundred thousand footmen, and two hundred thousand horse: in which Expedition he tooke Semiramis from her husband Menon, who therefore (impatient of louelove and griefe) hanged himselfe. He had by her a sonne of his owne name, and then died, leauing the Empire to his wife. His Sepulchre was nine furlongs in height (each of which is sixe hundred feet) and tenne in breadth. The credit of this Historie I leaue to the Author, scarse seeming to agree with Moses narration of the building of Niniue, any more then Semiramis building of Babylon. Some write, That fAelian. vat. bist. l. 7. c. 1.Semiramis abusing her husbands louelove, obtained of him the swaying of the Empire for the space of fiue dayes; in which time she depriued him of his life, and succeeded in his Estate.
But least the name of this Citie call vsus backe againe too much to those Assyrian Relations, before dilated as much as concerneth our purpose; let vsus see what can be said of their Religion here. Of this we finde little, but as before is shewed of the Babylonians.
Nisroch was the Idoll, in whose Temple Senacherib was slaine by his owne sonnes. But what this Nisroch was, I cannot finde. Certaine it is, that hee which had vpbraided confidence in the true GOD, findes his Idoll, euen in the place and time of his Worship, his Traytor; and hee which had blasphemed the GOD of Heauen, findes Heauen and Earth, and his owne bowels, against him.
Uenus Vrania gWolpb. in 2. Reg. 19.is reckoned among the Assyrian deuotions, and Adad was their chiefe God, which they interprete One, (and Macrobius, the Sunne, which, as before is said, they worshipped) and Atargatis, the Earth. Belus also was here worshipped, as witnesse Dion, Eusebius and Cyrillus.
Lucian hLuc. in lone Tragoedo.sayth, That the Assyrians sacrificed to a Doue; the touching of which Fowle required much ceremonie for expiation: Whereto accordeth the fable, iMetam. 4.that Semiramis was turned into a Doue.
Concerning Adad and Atargatis, Macrobius kSaturnal. l. 1. 23.sayth, That the Assyrians ascribe all power to these two. The Image of Adad shined with rayes or beames downewards, designing the Sunnes force: That of Atargatis, with beames vpwards, as it were ascribing to the heauenly influence all her plentie: vnderunder the same Image were the shapes of Lyons, as also the Phrygians fained the mother of the Gods, that is, the Earth, to be borne on Lyons. But of this Atargatis more in the next Chapter.
Ionas was sent to preach to the great Citie of Niniue, as some lGramay. As. Sigon. in Sulpit.thinke in the dayes of Sardanapalus his next predecessor. Broughton (with some other) thinketh in the daies of Pul, or Phul-Assur. Their repentance stayed that iudgement. Nahum after denounced the like iudgement, which accordingly came to passe. Phraortes King of the Medes (mentioned in the former Chapter) besieged it. His sonne Cyaxares succeeded in the Kingdome, and in this siege. After that, the Scythians inuaded Media, and held it eight and twentie yeares, according to the prophecie of Ieremie, 49. 34. and in the same Expedition obtained Niniue. But Cyaxares after preuailed against the Scythians, and Astyages his sonne ouer-turned and destroyed Niniue, that it should no more be a receptacle or encouragement to the Assyrians, to rebell against the Medes. Nahum threatneth mNab. 2. 6.opening of the gates of the Riuers, and destruction to the Temple, as Tremellins readeth it, noting thereon the casting downe of the Forts on Tigris, and amongst them the Temple of Belus there erected; out of whose notes on the first Chapter of Nahum, I inserted the former relation. Herodotus in the Historie hereof sayth, That Phraeortes there perished in the siege, with most part of his armie. Cyaxares, to reuenge his fathers death, renewed the siege, but was not able to hold his owne against the Scythians, vntill, after eight and twentie yeares, that the Scythians had enioyed the Empire of Asia (vnderunder pretence of feasting being entertained in a banquet) the most of them, in their drunkennesse, were slaine by the Medes: and so the Scythians loosing what before they had gotten, Cyaxares recouered the Empire, and destroyed Niniue. Thus was that Citie destroyed n…arothaeus in his Synopsi affirmeth, that by an Earthquake the lake which compassed the Citie drowned it, and … fire consumed the vpper part thereof.whose Riches, Beautie, Antiquitie, Largenesse, and Puissance, the Scripture so often mentioneth.
A man may compare Ecbatana of the Medes, Babylon on Euphrates, and Niniue on Tigris, to the Triumviri at Rome: So did they both emulate and share the Easterne Empire, as each could make her selfe strongest; now Babylon, another while Niniue, and sometime Ecbatana preuailing: which is the cause of no small difficultie in these Histories, M. Cartwright, an eye-witnesse, hath beheld (he sayth) the ruines of this Citie, and agreeth with Diodorus in the inequalitie of the sides: two of which contained an hundred and fiftie furlongs, the two other but fourescore and tenne on a side.
Mosul is supposed to be Niniue, happily for the neerenesse, or for that (as a posthume issue) it hath sprung from the former. The ashes yet hauehave not yeelded such a Phoenix as the former was. oG. Bo. Ben. part. 1. lib. 2.Mosul is in fame for Cloth of Gold and Silke, for fertilitie, and for the Patriarchall Sea of the Nestorian Christians, whose authoritie stretcheth to Cathay and India. Merdin, a Towne on the same Riuer, is also a Patriarchall Sea of the Chaldees (or Mahumetane Sect.) In Paulus Venetus his daies pM. Paul. l. 1. c. 6.they were in the Prouince of Mosul, partly Mahumetans, partly Christians: and in the Mountaines dwelt the Curdi, that were Participles or Mungrels in Religion, professing partly Christ, partly Mahumet in practise robbers and wicked. The Christian Patriarch hath Archbishops and Bishops vnderunder him, as the Roman Pope. The Mahumetans are called Aratri.
Assyria (sayth qMagin. Geogr.Maginus) is now called by Niger, Adrinsa; by Garara, Azemia; by Pinetus, Mosul; by Mercator, Sarh; and of Castaldus, Arzerum. It sometime contained the Prouinces, Arapachite, Adiabena, and Sittacene, now called (after some) Botan, Sarca, and Rabia.
Boemus rl. Boem. l. 1.telleth of a strange fashion aunciently vsed in Assyria; That the maids which were marriageble were yearely brought forth in publike, and set to sale to such as would marrie them. The money which was giuen for the fairest, was giuen to the more deformed for their portion in marriage.
The Assyrians vsed to wash themselues daily, but chiefely after carnall companie.
As for the Saracenicall Religion, we shall more fitly handle the same by it selfe, then tediously repeat the same things. For this therefore, and other Countries subiect to Turkish or Persian seruitude, the Reader may reade of their superstitions in their due place, when we speake of the Saracens, Turkes, and Persians. The relation of their Christian Rites belong to another Tome.
But let vsus come out of Assyria into Syria; the Histories of which are not a little, as is said, confounded together, and many Rites were common to them both, and to all these parts, from the Persian gulfe to Asia the lesse, as being so often subiect to one Empire, or rather still parts of that one Empire, which receiued often alterations vnderunder the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Macedonians, Scythians, Parthians, &c.